[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2982-S2983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE ON ITS 75TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 62, 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent 
resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 62) congratulating 
     the outstanding professional public servants, both past and 
     present, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the 
     occasion of its 75th anniversary.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today the Senate is considering a 
resolution recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, known as NRCS.
  Congress established the Soil Conservation Service, the predecessor 
to NRCS, in April of 1935. Since that time, the agency has aided 
landowners in implementing conservation measures to protect and enhance 
our Nation's natural resources. Meanwhile, American farmers and 
ranchers have become the most productive of any on Earth--ensuring a 
safe, diverse, and nutritious food supply for their fellow citizens and 
many of the world's citizens.
  Today, NRCS administers more than 20 conservation programs that 
provide technical and financial assistance to landowners. These 
programs improve soil and water quality, increase energy efficiency, 
enhance agricultural practices, and retire marginal lands to create and 
protect wildlife habitat. NRCS has directly contributed to the 
protection or establishment of 160 million acres of wildlife habitat 
and to the preservation, restoration, or enhancement of 9 million acres 
of wetlands.
  We have seen real progress over the past 75 years, but I would argue 
private lands conservation is more important in 2010 than ever before, 
as we confront challenges such as climate change and loss of open 
space, and explore opportunities for creating wealth in rural 
communities through renewable energy production and water quality and 
carbon credit trading.
  Properly managed working lands generate environmental benefits we all 
enjoy, such as clean air, water made clean by filtering through forests 
and fields, high-quality soils that capture carbon and make life 
possible, and wildlife habitat that promotes biodiversity and offers 
recreational opportunities such as fishing and hunting. With 70 percent 
of U.S. lands in private hands, the continuation of successful farm 
bill conservation programs--along with other technical assistance 
efforts--should be of interest to all of us.
  NRCS programs provide important public benefits while working with 
landowners on a voluntary basis. This unique approach is aided by the 
agency's presence in every county of every State. Agency employees in 
every office work toward the common goal of conserving natural 
resources for the benefit of the landowner and all Americans.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution recognizing 
the NRCS's 75 years of service.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the 
motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening 
action or debate, and any statements relating to the measure be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 62) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                            S. Con. Res. 62

       Whereas the well-being of the United States is dependent on 
     productive soils along with abundant and high-quality water 
     and related natural resources;
       Whereas the Natural Resources Conservation Service (in this 
     resolution referred to as ``NRCS'') was established as the 
     Soil Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture in 
     1935 to assist farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in 
     protecting soil and water resources on private lands;
       Whereas Hugh Hammond Bennett, the first Chief of the Soil 
     Conservation Service and the ``father of soil conservation'', 
     led the creation of the modern soil conservation movement 
     that established soil and water conservation as a national 
     priority;
       Whereas the NRCS, with the assistance of President Franklin 
     D. Roosevelt, State governments, and local partners, 
     developed a new mechanism of American conservation service 
     delivery, which brings together private individuals with 
     Federal, State, and local governments to achieve common 
     conservation objectives;
       Whereas the NRCS provides a vital public service by 
     supplying technical expertise and financial assistance to 
     cooperating private landowners for the conservation of soil 
     and water resources;
       Whereas the NRCS, as authorized by Congress, has developed 
     and provided land conservation programs that have resulted in 
     the restoration and preservation of millions of acres of 
     wetlands, forests, and grasslands that provide innumerable 
     benefits to the general public in the form of recreational 
     opportunities, wildlife habitat, water quality, and reduced 
     soil erosion;
       Whereas the NRCS is the world leader in soil science and 
     soil surveying;
       Whereas the NRCS is the national leader in the inventory of 
     natural resources on private lands, providing national 
     leaders and the public with the status and trends related to 
     these resources and helping forecast the availability of 
     critical water supplies;
       Whereas the NRCS has helped communities develop and 
     implement thousands of locally led projects that continue to 
     provide flood control, soil conservation, water supply, and 
     recreational benefits to all Americans, while providing 
     business and job creation opportunities as well;
       Whereas, since its establishment, the NRCS has developed, 
     tested, and demonstrated conservation practices, helped 
     develop the science and art of conservation, and continues to 
     strive toward innovation;
       Whereas the NRCS encourages and works with landowners and 
     land users to adopt conservation practices and technologies 
     in a voluntary manner to address natural resource concerns;
       Whereas NRCS employees serve in offices in every State and 
     territory, while other employees assist other countries and 
     governments;

[[Page S2983]]

       Whereas, while some NRCS employees work directly with 
     landowners, other employees serve in support of NRCS field 
     operations, but all work toward a common goal of improving 
     the condition of all natural resources found on private 
     lands, knowing when they succeed, all Americans benefit; and
       Whereas the NRCS has been ``helping people, help the land'' 
     for 75 years: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) congratulates the outstanding conservation 
     professionals of the Natural Resources Conservation Service 
     on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Natural 
     Resources Conservation Service;
       (2) recognizes the vital role conservation plays in the 
     well-being of the United States;
       (3) expresses its continued commitment to the conservation 
     of natural resources on private lands in both the national 
     interest and as a national priority; and
       (4) recognizes the services that the Natural Resources 
     Conservation Service provides to the United States by helping 
     farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to protect soil, 
     water, and related natural resources.

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